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Infrared Telescope Facility

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Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF)

Located on Mauna Kea in Hawaii, the IRTF is mounting a major campaign of observations to document as fully as possible the comet impacts. A full month of telescope time, centered approximately on the collision period in July, will be assigned to an IRTF Comet Collision Science Team. Scientific objectives include: studies of the cometary material, searches for molecular species "evacuated" from the Jovian troposphere into the stratosphere where they might be detected by their infrared spectral signatures, searches for various waves in the atmosphere of Jupiter induced by impacting comet fragments, and studies of the effects of the cometary dust on the Jovian aurorae.

Contact: Dr. Bob Joseph, University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, (808) 956-8531
or
Dr. Glenn Orton, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., (818) 354-2640.

IRTF Observations Plans

Images



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For suggestions or additions to the this page, please contact:

Ron Baalke
ron@jpl.nasa.gov

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